Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

Saturday I had a wonderful day out, a day trip all by myself with an audio book (The Street Lawyer, by John Grisham, a favorite author of mine, narrated by Frank Muller, my favorite narrator) for company on the 2.5 hour drive to and fro. Dunkin Donuts decaf on the way down and cinnamon and sugar encrusted almonds on the way back, aaaaah bliss.

The Festival was, as always, mobbed and chock full of fiber, equipment and supplies. Of course there were the usual live suspects: sheep, goats, rabbits, llamas, alpacas, old friends and new friends, and of course food, lots of food.

I may have been so relaxed and laid back having a day to myself that I leaned toward feeling jaded. I found nothing to get excited about. Sock yarn? No, been there/done that, got the stash to prove it. Weaving yarn? Yes, a little. I haven't done enough triangular loom weaving to know what I need or want, but I bought some silk/wool blend skeins that should work up nicely on my small (18") tri loom. I also succumbed to four large skeins of the denim blue mohair that was being sold at a price I couldn't refuse. I have visions of a seven foot fringed shawl that goes great with jeans. I can dream, can't I? But no sweater or felted bag kit beckoned me. I think I've had my fill.

One of the high points of the day was when a shopper walked up to me and inquired, "Bona Fide Knitter?" I was so surprised! My avid follower proceeded to make me feel very good about my efforts, so good that I'm going to get back in the swing of it. Thanks Melodye!

It was good to run into three of my fellow sock machine enthusiasts during the day and catch up on what I've been missing and learn I've been missed from the fray. The sock machine demonstration started at 3:00 p.m. I was just an hour from home by then. A couple of years ago I was one of the demonstrators. How the mighty have fallen. My space-consuming hobbies have been put on hold while a garage conversion is being planned to give me a "studio" where it can all be kept together. Well, maybe not all of it . . . That's a story for another day.

The fiber thrill just wasn't there for me this year. It seemed to me that there was an inordinate amount of roving being offered--naturals, colors, wools, silks, you name it, all lovely. I missed last year's Festival so perhaps this trend has been forming and I didn't notice it. Every hobby has its day. I think spinning is really coming into its own. I don't spin. I've been tempted, but I don't spin. I have no wheel and don't want one. I don't spin. I have no drop spindle and I don't want one. No spinning for me. You heard it here first folks.

Anyway, I didn't have my usual MD Sheep and Wool vibe on, but I thoroughly enjoyed the half day I was there and am happy with my purchases. Oh, I forgot to mention the maple syrup and cranberry honey. Yum!

I didn't take my camera with me so I will end with a favorite picture from the 2007 Festival:

Hey! Watch those clippers!

Bona Fide Knitter

Another Week Gone

Time flies when you're having fun whether you're having fun or not. I had no particular fun this past week and it flew by anyway. It's hard to believe it was a whole week ago that I was at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Yes, at this time last Saturday morning I was parking at the wrong end of the Main Exhibition Hall. I think time flies faster the older you get and I must be at an age where it zooms by, fun or not. Next it will be moving at warp speed (which is faster than 'zoom' so I might as well make it fun while it lasts.

More about the Festival: I bought some household items, a broom and a couple of hand towels. I even took pictures of a broom maker and his wife and his brooms which were works of art. I didn't buy one of his ($50), but found something more suitable to my pocketbook ($18) by another broom maker, whose picture I didn't take.

These look like brooms for riding!

Making a weekend of it allows me time to see everything and spend time admiring the animals. What can I tell you, I love animals! One of the most attracting things I saw at my first MDS&W four years ago was a woman calling herself "The Barefoot Spinner." She was sitting at a spinning wheel with a huge angora rabbit on her lap, gently pulling off the angora and spinning it. She pedaled the wheel in her bare feet (as the name implies) and I was mesmerized. I wanted a spinning wheel and a rabbit right then and there! Never mind the fact that I don't know how to spin or take care of rabbits. I was able to contain myself. Another hobby or animal is nothing I need. But four years later I am still mesmerized by it all and still feel the pull of holding a bunny and pedaling out angora yarn in my bare feet.

She had socks on this year. It was a chilly morning.

It's hard to tell which is bunny head or tail.

There were more animals there than you could shake a stick at. Actually there were sticks being sold, lamb prods and walking sticks, but not for shaking at the animals . . . unless you were a shepherd trying to move your flock I guess.






















There were alpacas, llamas, and lambs, but none can voice their displeasure better than a sheep being groomed for the show ring:

BAA-AAA-AAA! STEP AWAY FROM THE GONADS!!!

Bona Fide Knitter

My Muse Has Returned

It took a weekend at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival to rediscover my muse. I have returned all fired up and ready to knit great things. My mojo is back.

Each year I look forward to the cover art on the catalog. This year's winner did not disappoint.

I drove down on Friday afternoon to get an early start for the gate on Saturday morning. I was there before opening and headed straight for the Koigu booth. It wasn't there! Koigu did not attend this year. I couldn't believe it! I had such great plans for all the half price Koigu mill ends I was going to score. It was my main reason for attending. The second main reason was to demonstrate the antique circular sock knitting machine with a few others from our MidAtlantic group.

But back to Koigu. I have no idea why they were not there and only hope that it was nothing that will keep them away in the future. Oh how I missed the fun of making up 100 gram groups of matching, similar, blending or contrasting colors and dye lots out of less than 50 gram hanks. That was always my Saturday night pastime as I wound down from the day of shopping. I've been told it's called "owning your stuff."

Not to be outdone, I found another place to spend my money. Philosopher's Wool was my first stop. My original purpose was to show the owners, Ann and Eugene Bourgeois, my sock knitting using Ann's two-handed fair isle technique that she showed me last year.

I was struck by the sweater Eugene was wearing and the next thing I knew I was picking out buttons for my kit which I will make into a cardigan.



When this one is completed I will truly be a star. Eugene told me today, when I went back with many questions after reading the directions last night, that I should begin the sweater right away. Just what I needed, an excuse for a modification to my modifications to my mentor's Rule of Three. Did you get that? In other words, I am going to start the new sweater today, after having put SFSS back into the UFO container, probably for another year.

Another of my purchases was "Cotton and EcoSpun" yarn from Little Barn of AL in a neutral gray/beige variegation which might become a ruana from Sally's Knit Stitch. At 99 cents a skein, it was an offer I couldn't refuse.

Another purchase I'm quite proud of is a shawl pin. After looking at every shawl pin at every vendor that had them--wooden, ceramic, pewter--I found just the right metal (bronze) in the right size (2") and weight by accident at a vendor I almost overlooked. Thank goodness for perseverance. This craftsman, a blacksmith, was in the barn where the Festival merchandise was located. There was a line out the door and down the road! I remembered that you could get in past the line to visit the vendors. And there was THE pin!


Even with the absence of Koigu, I was quite happy with a couple of good deals I got on sock yarn, three little skeins--enough for one pair to be hand knit for me--and two cones to run through the sock machine and produce a few pairs for others.

Speaking of the sock machine, I did the demo in the afternoon. It was fun, exhausting and rewarding. More information on that can be found at The Sock Lady's blog tomorrow.

I left the Festival at noon today and drove home. It is now time to 'own my stuff.' There will more the weekend in the days to come, as I think of it. Right now I have to go wind some Philosopher's Wool into balls.

Bona Fide Knitter

Another Day, Another Dishcloth

I made another dishcloth yesterday. They can become addictive! In keeping with the theme, I found this pattern online:



The first was a bunny made from corner to corner. This one is a chick made side to side. I have to learn to photograph them better so the picture stands out more. Anyway, do you see an Easter or Spring theme developing? While marking time until my Knit Picks order arrives I'll be Kitchenering toes on socks and knitting dishcloths it seems.

I've received the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival Catalog and see the Circular Sock Knitting Machine Demo will be in the Main Exhibition Hall on Saturday from 2 - 6 p.m. That demo is being done by the people from MARS of which I am one. Stop by to say hello and see how these old machines work.

Bona Fide Knitter